Floor covering and method



April 24,1934. E. M. LINES 1,956,197

FLOOR COVERING AND METHOD Filed Feb. 11, 1952 g d m in m a C? i l v Patented Apr. 24, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FLOOR COVERING AND METHOD of Massachusetts Application February 11, 1932, Serial No. 592,430

13 Claims.

This invention relates to the manufacture of flexible floor coverings and more particularly to the manufacture of hard-surfaced flexible floor coverings having the back of the material coated with a suitable colored paint of gum. It is the object of this invention to provide a floor covering of this type with an additional or a finish coating of wax having integral therewith a series of raised portions, such as designs, identification marks, or both, which serve to prevent the rolled floor covering from sticking together.

Heretofore, identification marks have sometimes been printed on the back of floor coverings having painted back surfaces, but such marks have not been ,well defined, have been slow in drying and have added little or nothing to the decorative effect. In no case, so far as known, has the painted back been uniformly covered with a surfacing having thereon the attractive all-over design which has the appearance and be applied with a quick setting compound which is extremely fluid when hot, and, when applied to the back of the cooler material, cools and sets instantly, and can be used to obtain a design which accurately reproduces a matrix in which 80 the design has been cut. I preferably employ as the thermo-plastic compound, a wax of the type of Montan, having mixed therewith a small amount (say 10%) of parafiin to act as a plasticizer and render the naturally brittle 85 Montan wax more flexible. To this wax may be added, if desired, a small amount of pigment (say 10-20%) in order to give a uniform and definite color to the wax, though, if desired, clear wax such as carnauba may be employed, in which case the colored paint on the back of the floor covering shows through, to greater extent, the wax surface or finish coating. Waxes of this type may be used in obtaining vari-colored designs by successive application of two or more colors of wax. The setting action of the wax is so rapid that substantial quantities may be applied and may be superimposed upon one another, successive applications having no dele- 0 terious effect. In the drawing:-

Fig; 1 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the application of the wax surfacing to the floor covering to which the painted or gum surfacing has previously been applied;

as Fig. 2 is a bottom or back plan view of a floor covering of the felt base type made in accordance with this invention; and

Fig. 3 is a cross section, much enlarged, taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawing in which like nu- '60 merals represent like parts, a portion of a floor covering, generally designated at 10, there shown having a wax coating 12 applied to the back surface thereof, and a series of lines 14 and I figures 15 constituting a raised over-all design ,65 thereon. In addition to the raised over-all design, the floor covering shown has on its back surface in raised wax characters 16, integral with the surface 12, the initials of the manufacturer and in addition characters 18 the trade-mark of the manufacturer. In Fig. 3, this cross sectional view being enlarged for purposes of clarity, the wax surfacing 12 with its various raised portions 14, 15, 16 and 18 is shown, the wax surfacing adhering to the paint coating 20 which has been applied to the rug base 22, the base having upon its upper surface and constituting the wearing surface, paint coats 24 and 26. Though the drawing shows a felt base floor covering, the invention is also applicable to various types of linoleum or other hard surfaced flexible floor coverings. Fig. 1 illustrates the application of the wax to the wax surfacing of the floor covering, by means of a roll 30 having the design and various characters, etc. depressed into the roll. Thus the raised lines and characters are supplied by means of the intaglio printing of the thermo-plastic material and the surface coating 12 applied by the cylindrical surface of the roll, as it contacts with the back of the rug material passing through, and at the same time turns in a bath 32 of hot gum or wax. The roll 30 is revolved (by means not shown) as the floor covering material passes through, and the wax is picked up by the rug material from the depressed areas of the roll, as well as from its cylindrical surface. The doctor 34, coming in contact with the roll, removes from the cylindrical roll surface as much of the wax as desired, allowing the roll to carry 100 under the doctor and apply to the back of the rug material, an all-over coating of wax of the desired thickness depending on the pressure of the doctor blade. By this method the gum or wax is transferred to the back of the material and accurately reproduces the predetermined design by the raised portions built up upon the wax surface 12. It is found in practice that the hot wax is picked up by the cooler back of the floor covering material and sets almost instantly and the adhesion of the wax to the floor covering material empties the depressions in the roll. By successive applications of the wax, as before mentioned, various colors may be app1ied,-for example, a plain all-over coating, or an all-over coating with a design, may be first applied and then a second application of design only and in a different color may be added to the first coating. The design may be of any suitable character and may be and preferably reproduces delicate figuring in the form of an all-over design which may have the appearance of being woven into the goods. In any case the raised portions of the design should extend substantially the same distance from the principal wax surface so as to provide a uniform result and the desired difference in relief.

Having described my invention, what I wish to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. As a new article of manufacture, a hard surfaced flexible floor covering having a base, a Wearing surface on one side thereof, a paint coating on the other side of said base, and a wax surfacing adherent to and covering said paint coating, said wax surfacing having integral therewith, a series of spaced outwardly extending portions forming a design thereon.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a hard surfaced flexible fioor covering having a felt base, a wearing surface on' one side thereof, a paint coating entirely covering the other side of said base, and a pigmented wax surfacing adherent to and covering said paint coating, said wax surfacing having integral therewith, a series of spaced outwardly extending portions forming a design thereon.

3. The method of making a floor covering of the kind described which consists in applying to one side of a base, a wearing surface, and to the other side thereof a paint coating, and then applying a wax surfacing completely covering said paint coating, said wax surfacing having a series of spaced outwardly extending portions forming a design thereon.

4-. The method of making a floor covering of the kind described which consists in applying to one side of a base, a wearing surface, and to the other side thereof a paint coating, and then applying a wax design and indicia on said paint coating to provide thereon a series of spaced outwardly extending portions forming a design thereon.

5. The method of making a floor covering of the kind described which consists in applying to one side of a base, a wearing surface, and to the other side thereof a paint coating, and then applying a wax surfacing completely covering said paint coating and having a series of spaced outwardly extending portions forming a design thereon. a

6. The method of surfacing a floor covering having a base formed with a wearing surface on one side thereof, and a painted surface on the other side thereof, which consists in applying a pigmented Wax surfacing completely covering said painted surface by means of an intaglio surfaced roll, thereby to provide a series of spaced outwardly extending portions arranged in predetermined relation forming a design on said wax surfaces.

7. The method of surfacing a fioor covering having a base formed with a wearing surface on one side thereof and a painted surface on the other side thereof, which consists in applying a pigmented wax surfacing completely covering said painted surface by transferring a quick-setting, pigmented molten wax to an intaglio surfaced roll, predeterminedly controlling the amount of wax transferred to the roll, and immediately thereafter transferring said roll to the painted surface, thereby to provide a series of spaced, outwardly extending portions arranged in predetermined relation forming a design on said waxedsurface.

8. The method of surfacing a fioor covering having a base formed with a wearing surface on one side thereof and a painted surface on the other side thereof, which consists in applying a wax surfacing completely covering said painted surface, and embossing said wax surfacing to provide a series of spaced, outwardly extending portions forming a design thereon.

9. The method of surfacing a floor covering having a base and a Wearing surface on one side thereof, which consists in applying a paint coating to the other side of the base, and then applying a wax surfacing completely covering said paint coating, and embossing said wax surface to provide a series of spaced, outwardly extending portions forming a design thereon.

10. The method of surfacing a floor covering having a base formed with a Wearing surface on one side thereof and a painted surface on the other side thereof, which consists in embossing a wax design and indicia on said painted surface to provide thereon a series of spaced, outwardly extending portions forming a design and a surface completely covering the painted surface.

11. The method of ornamenting a floor covering having a base formed with a wearing surface on one side thereof, and a painted surface on the other side thereof, which consists in intaglio printing said painted surface with a wax surfacing completely covering said painted surface and formed with a series of outwardly extending portions arranged in predetermined spaced relation forming a design.

12. The methodof ornamenting a floor covering having a base formed with a wearing surface on one side thereof and the other side painted in color, which consists in intaglio printing said painted surface with a clear wax surfacing completely covering said painted surface and formed with a series of outwardly extending portions arranged in predetermined spaced relation forming a design, said painted surface being visible through said wax.

13. The method of crnamenting a floor covering having a base formed with a wearing surface on one side thereof and the other side coated with paint, which consists in intaglio printing said painted surface with a plurality of wax coatings, at least one of which is pigmented, to

completely cover the painted surface and form a design in color, and a, series of outwardly extending portions arranged in predetermined spaced relation forming a design.

EDWIN M. LINES. 

